Boulder council seminar focuses on workplace violence

Leaders discuss threats, fears

Critic Seth Brigham is arrested after addressing a Boulder City Council meeting in 2010. Officers have been called on to act during the meetings at least twice in the last two years.
( PAUL AIKEN)

Boulder council security

Since August 2008, Boulder police officers have been stationed at City Council meetings in response to the fears of some elected officials that members of the public could be a threat to them.

Officers have been called on to act during the meetings at least twice in the last two years. Both times, the council had an officer escort council critic Seth Brigham out of the meeting room. Brigham was arrested the first time and later received a $10,000 settlement from the city to avoid a civil rights lawsuit.

The extra security costs for the city are about $10,000 a year. In 2011, the total bill for overtime officers stationed at council meetings was $9,201 for 173.5 hours.

The Boulder City Council spent its Valentine's Day evening on the decidedly unromantic topic of violence and security in the workplace.

John Nicoletti, an expert in workplace violence prevention who was involved in investigating the shootings at Columbine High School and Virginia Tech, delivered a two-hour presentation to the council about identifying and preventing workplace violence. The session cost the city about $1,000.

City officials previously closed the training to the public but reversed that position after the Camera protested.

The consultant compared workplace violence to viruses and said city officials should be aware of what's happening around them.

"Everybody is susceptible to workplace violence," Nicoletti said.

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He told the council to look out for people who are sending emails very late at night -- a possible sign of obsessive behavior -- and for "avengers" who progress into violent behavior over time.

Councilman Tim Plass said he and other council members were concerned at a recent meeting in which a member of the public yelled out, "I know where you live."

"That was a real uncomfortable moment for me," Plass said.

Councilman Macon Cowles said he once gave a ride to a Boulder resident and was concerned about a comment the man made about wanting to have an AK-47 rifle whenever he went into a Boulder shopping center. Cowles said he didn't know how to respond.

Councilwoman KC Becker said a person upset over parking tickets called her cell phone and yelled at her.

"He really scared me," she said.

Nicoletti told the leaders not to allow people to test their personal and professional limits because it only encourages the behavior. He said that even allowing people to go over their time limits during the public comment periods is an example of "probing behavior" by aggressors.

City Attorney Tom Carr pointed out that not all people who go over their speaking time are a threat. Nicoletti responded that the council should simply be aware of its rules and abide by them consistently.

Councilwoman Lisa Morzel agreed with that point.

"To me, it's just like good parenting," she said.

The Occupy Boulder movement, Nicoletti added, is an example of a group that tested the city's authority and limits by camping illegally on public property.

"Make your rules in line with your response," he said.

The presentation also included a lesson on bullying, which Nicoletti said isn't limited to schools.

"It occurs in adult workplaces," he said, and often includes verbal abuse and offensive behavior.

He said 72 percent of adult bullies are bosses or supervisors in the workplace.

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